Web Desk
Two relief goods-laden trains for flood affectees have reached Pakistan from Turkey while another eight more trains are expected during next two weeks, English newspaper, Daily Dawn reported on Monday.
The relief goods received through the first train at Zahedan (Iran) were loaded on two Pakistani trains after transshipment and finally reached Dalbandin via Taftan a couple of days before. They were later dispatched to various flood-hit areas of Southern Pakistan province of Balochistan after segregation.
Goods received from Turkey through the second train on Sunday are likely to be dispatched for the most critical flood-hit areas of Sindh, south Punjab and KP.
According to Pakistan Railways officials, the first Turkish train the authorities received on Sept 16 was carrying 3,100 tents, 6,870 blankets, 2,864 food packages, clothes, flour, etc. These goods were dispatched by the authorities concerned through trucks from Dalbandin city in Chagai district to the areas of Uthal, Khuzdar, Uch, Dera Murad Jamali and Pishin.
The relief goods reaching Pakistan in the remaining Turkish trains would also be distributed among flood victims of all provinces as per a plan prepared by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in association with the department concerned.
Pakistan’s broad gauge railway line exists till Zahedan and after that the standard gauge rail begins that is commonly used for rail transportation in Iran, Turkey and Europe. That is why the transshipment of the goods dispatched from Pakistan or Iran or Turkey always happens at the Zahedan railway station.
Since the transshipment process takes a day or two for each train, the relief goods reaching Dalbandin via Taftan cannot be transported through the rail network further (Dalbandin to Quetta) as the track here at various places has been washed away by floods.
